Detroit Lions only NFL team using hi-tech data system at practice

ALLEN PARK >> Always looking for a competitive edge, the Detroit Lions are using technology at training camp that no other NFL team uses.

Zebra Technology, a tracking system that uses radio frequency as opposed to GPS technology, collects data for coaches and trainers.

Seventeen NFL teams, including the Lions, will use Zebra Technology in games mostly for Thursday night football games on CBS, it was announced this week.

The Lions are the only NFL team that uses it during practice, according to team president Tom Lewand.

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The signs are subtle at training camp.

Players have double-stitched circular patches on each shoulder of their jersey that contain markers identifying them personally. (See photo of patch on Glover Quin’s jersey.)

Around the Lions’ outdoor practice field, poles have been installed with receivers.

“What we’re doing is a multi-platform, dynamic measuring system and we’re using it in a very robust way combined with some other technologies that measure things like heart rate, respiration, other things,’’ Lewand said. “So we’re using that in a proprietary way.

“We’re the only team using it, some other teams are using GPS technology. We think — we think it’s also the reason the NFL chose Zebra — is that this is a much more precise way to do it. When you combine it with the other technologies we’re starting to get some really valuable information as it relates to how to put our players in the best position to prepare and succeed. It’s been great for us.’’

Lewand won’t share many details of the information the team is gathering.

“I don’t know want to get into too many specifics, because it’s ours. It’s ours, nobody else has it,’’ Lewand said. “No other team in the league — there’s other teams measuring heart rate, respiratory, other things — but nobody has our system. We’re measuring some things that I believe other teams aren’t. We’re using data some other teams aren’t. It’s a competitive advantage for us.’’

Lewand won’t reveal the cost.

“It’s an investment worth making,’’ he said.

That same Zebra Technology that the Lions use in practice will be used to enhance the broadcasts of Thursday night NFL games.

“It’s another evolution of making the broadcast more dynamic,’’ Lewand said.“You’ve seen innovations like the floating camera on the cables, this will give another insight into the game. How fast a guy’s running, you’ll literally be able to tell how fast did he run the first quarter vs. the fourth quarter; how fast is this guy running a route vs. another receiver in the league; how fast is the corner making the transition or what’s his closing speed.

“All those types of things would be available through this technology on a real-tme basis,’’ Lewand said. “I don’t know the specifics of how the CBS production crew is going to be able to deploy it, capture it in real time and deploy it and what they’re going to use it for, but it’s pretty robust.’’

It is yet another big frontier for the NFL and it appears it’s in the early stages.

Ford Field was a beta testing site for Zebra Technology last season.

“I think obviously there will be innovations in each of the areas — the coaching, the medical, the scouting, the consumer side,’’ Lewand said. “Is it going to transform the way we watch the game, prepare to play the game? I wouldn’t say that it’s necessarily going to do a 180 in the way our game is played and presented.

“I think it will unquestionably provide value. We’ve seen what we’ve done internally that it provides a significant amount of value to test old theories, to form new theories based on facts not on observations,’’ Lewand said. “I think some of the applications in testing I’ve seen on the consumer side is fascinating. It should be fun.’’

About the Author

Paula Pasche is a longtime sports writer for The Oakland Press and blogs at http://oplions.blogspot.com/. Author of book, "100 Things Lions Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die." Follow on Tout and Twitter @paulapasche. Reach the author at paula.pasche@oakpress.com
or follow Paula on Twitter: @PaulaPasche.